The Morning Line: World Finals, Day 5

Championship Sunday will start out with some great matchups in Round 5 and end with the short go. The race for the World Championship is over, but the race for the event title is far from decided. Whoever moves into the short round will have David’s Dream, and of the Top 5 guys in the average after Round 5, being second or fifth are the sweetest spots because of the way the short round is drawn up. The second place man will have Long John, and the fifth place man will have Roy.

The World Champion bull race will be decided in the short round as well, and Air Time has such a lead that he will have to have a really bad day to lose it. He’s drawn up for the No. 7 man in the average to have in the short round.

Ben Jones on C12 Rebel Yell:

There’s a good chance we could see another dance from Jones here. This is the bull Silvano Alves won Round 3 on. He has been a good fit for the right-handed riders he’s faced, going 3-3 against them.

J.W. Harris on 21 Heavy Dose:

Harris really hasn’t looked like himself this week, but he is the same guy who dominated on the last day here last year. He has been on the big stage plenty of times, and he’s not the kind of guy who gets in a slump and stays in it. This is a quality bull that worked Ryan Dirteater over in Round 2. Harris had him in Biloxi, Mississippi, and didn’t get the job done. Heavy Dose can have a pretty nice trip, or he can be very similar to Pearl Harbor – the bull Harris had last night. Either way, Harris isn’t overmatched here.

Kaique Pacheco on S02 Sasquatch:

This is a fantastic draw for Pacheco. He’s been on this bull before, and won second in the short round on him in Charlotte, North Carolina, a couple of months ago. Gage Gay placed in Round 2 on him here. Pacheco is just outside the Top-10 in the average here, but this will put him up near the top. Several of the guys ahead of him didn’t draw as well.

Bonner Bolton on 1R15 Blind Spot:

Bolton is still very much in contention for the event win here. He’s currently in fourth, and when he came down early last night, he gave up a full bull lead on everyone except Cooper Davis. Now because he kept a lower score in the first round rather than taking a reride, he’s a little behind the other three guys who have three scores. This bull could help him keep pace. Blind Spot is a good draw for right-handed riders. He’ll go out a couple of jumps and spin to the right with pretty good timing. Ben Jones turned in a big ride on him in Springfield, Missouri, in September.

Tanner Byrne on 6810 Compact:

This is the bull that Cooper Davis placed on in Round 3. Byrne has had him before too, and posted 88 points on him in Phoenix early in the 2014 season. Compact is one of the best draws around for right-handed riders, and he’s run into a lot of righties this season. He’s been ridden in six of his last eight outs.

Stetson Lawrence on 911 Dakota Style’s Hy Test:

Lawrence really drew well here. Hy Test gave up 89 points and a second place check to Cooper Davis in the opening round here. He’s a much better draw for lefties though. He’s 3-9 against them in his career. Lawrence needs another score to help him reach the short round here.

Matt Triplett on 77 Calypso:

Triplett has two good scores in the last two rounds, and he’s in position to do well in the average. He has a good draw here, but a challenging one. Calypso should go to the right, and he can either have great timing, or he can mix it up a little. When he throws some breaks in his timing he’s much harder to ride. Triplett needs him to have his nicer trip.

Ryan Dirteater on 0819 Minion Stuart:

Dirteater is another guy with just one score, and he needs a big one here to have a shot in the short round. This bull could give it to him. Minion Stuart is the Canadian bull that carried Tanner Byrne to an 86.75-point score in Round 3. He’s one of the nicer to ride bulls in the round here.

Silvano Alves on 904 Fire & Smoke:

This bull will be a handful even for Alves. He’s given up a few rides in his career, but only to left-handed riders. He’s never let a righty make the whistle. He’s primarily a spinning bull with a lot of speed, and he often looks like he should be a rider favorite, but when he appears in draft rounds, he’s never picked very high. Alves has been a victim before. They met in the 2014 season, and Alves came down in 5.62 seconds.

Cody Nance on 842 Hou’s Back:

Just over a year ago, Nance turned in an 89-point ride on Hou’s Back to win a round in Springfield. Hou’s Back threw J.B. Mauney in Round 2, but Mauney earned a reride because of a foul. This is a good matchup for Nance, but this bull is never a pushover.

Cooper Davis on 104 Moto Moto:

Davis let one slip away last night, or he would be in the driver’s seat for the average title. He’s got a good draw here, but a difficult one. Moto Moto is a little bit like Mick E. Mouse lite. He’s got the same kind of bouncy back and forth jumps before coming around to the right pretty hard. He’s not nearly as strong as Mick E. Mouse was, but he’s a good solid bull. He’s been ridden a couple of times by right handed riders, and Davis has a chance.

J.B. Mauney on 841 Wicked:

Wicked has been ridden in his past two outs, but in the big picture he’s given up just six rides in 53 career outs. He’s a bull that uses quickness, speed and athleticism rather than big, strong leaps and drops. He stays close to the ground and keeps bringing it. He’s an smooth and even-timing bull some of the time, but sometimes he can have some serious wrinkles that make him very hard to ride. The newly crowned World Champion can handle him, but Wicked has moves in his pocket that can put any rider on the ground.